HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 02 Discussion Item on Public Safety
MEMORANDUM
DATE:
July 15, 2008
TO:
Joint Elected Officials of Lane County, Eugene, and Springfield
RE:
Discussion Item on Public Safety
On June 24, we provided a memo at the Joint Elected Officials' (JEO) meeting in
anticipation of having a brief discussion on public safety issues. Unfortunately, time did
not permit discussion of the memo. The County Administrator and the City Managers
would like the JEO to provide direction on the questions below (and other key questions
that may arise). At a minimum, the County Administrator and City Managers would like
to know if there is any opposition to identifying options for moving the discussion
forward and presenting those to the JEO for direction at a later time.
The JEO has determined public safety to be a high priority discussion item for the group.
Because public safety services are delivered through a complex, broad, and multi-agency
system, the traditional format of JEO meetings do not appear to' provide enough time for
adequate discussion and decision-making, especially in the absence of an agreed-upon
process. The County Administrator, City Managers, and other key staff have discussed
the need to develop a strategy to make the most of the public safety discussions. Two
key questions, need to be addressed in an effort to allow the JEO to give sufficient
guidance and establish preferences that will move the discussion forward in an efficient
and productive manner.
1. What/who is the body that will have the discussions and make the decisions?
A. Will the discussions and/or decisions be made by the JEO as a collective
body or will a sub-group or another group have those discussions?
B. How do we ensure the group is cross-jurisdictional?
C. Is there a role for the Public Safety Coordinating Council (or other
bodies)?
D. Is there a preferred model for providing staff support?
E. How do we make sure there is adequate public involvement?
2. What are we trying to solve?
A. Should there be a third~party evaluation of the system?
B. Will the discussion address metro area or county-wide needs?
C. Does the review occur under the assumption of current public safety
structure and therefore focus primarily on funding issues or does the JEO
want to take a new look at how public safety issues should be addressed?
D. Will the discussion center on law enforcement, prosecution and
incarceration or a broader spectrum of services including prevention,
intervention and treatment?